


Secrets in the Dark

by Chibi_Pix



Series: Going in Blind: Pidge's Adventures [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Minor Matt Holt, Minor Pidge|Katie Holt, krolia's time on earth, minor keith, naming Keith's father Chief, the holts have a different dog named gunther
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29716536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibi_Pix/pseuds/Chibi_Pix
Summary: Before the Paladins would get together, before they would even find the Blue Lion, Krolia crashed on Earth and was found by Chief and Sam. Taken in and given a safe place to be, she spends her time, getting to know Earth and the few people in her lives well, helping whenever possible while still looking for the lion hidden out in the desert and canyons.
Relationships: Colleen Holt/Sam Holt, Keith's Father/Krolia (Voltron)
Series: Going in Blind: Pidge's Adventures [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717885
Kudos: 2





	1. Welcome to Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, lovelies!  
> I apologize in advance if there are some continuity errors, especially compared to the other fics of the series. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of the details.   
> Anyway! This is a three part fic about Krolia's time on Earth.

It wasn’t unusual for the Holt couple to be visiting their friend, Chief. Chief was a good friend of theirs and they often went out to his home in the desert. Colleen Holt was sitting on a chair out in front of the house, a small fire lit in front of her. She read from her book, her free hand down and petting the Great Pyrenees at her side, the dog gently snoozing. She kept the book balanced on her swollen stomach, chuckling when it was pushed up as the baby inside her tried to move.

“C’mon, Matt, Mommy’s trying to read.” Colleen chuckled. Hearing her, the dog lifted his head. “It’s okay, Gunther, I’m just talking to Matt.”

Gunther stood up and nosed Colleen’s stomach before resting his head upon it, pushing the book out of his way. He let out a small whine.

“Don’t worry, buddy, Matt’s going to be born soon.” Colleen assured as she pet him more. Gunther nuzzled into her hand more, happy to have the attention. He then looked up when there was a crackle in the sky; he started to growl, alerting his human to whatever was coming in through the atmosphere. “Huh? What...” Colleen looked to see something come crashing in, but it didn’t seem like a meteoroid. “Sam! Chief!” she called back, getting up.

“Collie? What is it? Is it time?” Chief asked, running out of the house, holding a suitcase under his arm. It was the go-pack, set up for when Colleen needed to go to the hospital.

“Colleen, are you okay?” Sam inquired, worried for his wife. He then looked to the sky. “Holy crow...” He winced when the object almost a half mile away from the house. “That was...”

“It’s still on fire.” Chief pointed out. “Collie, stay here; we’re gonna check it out. At least get that fire out.”

“Be careful out there.” Colleen told them.

Chief nodded as he ran back inside, grabbing a couple spare fire extinguishers he kept on hand as well as an ax. While he did that, Sam got the all-terrain vehicle ready to go. Once they were set, he drove them out to the crash site. It didn’t take long to get there, by then most of the flames appeared to have gone out.

“Get the rest of them out!” Chief ordered.

“Right.” Sam grabbed one of the extinguishers and started working on the flames, dousing them, especially around what seemed to be the front shielding of what was obviously a ship. “It’s not an Earth ship, I’m sure of that.” he pointed out. “Huh? Chief! Someone’s in there!”

Chief ran over with his ax. “Keep the flames from me.” he said. He jumped onto part of the ship and used his ax to break the shielding. He got it out of the way enough to see the figure inside. They obviously weren’t human. But more than that, the visor on their helmet was broken. Chief moved in quickly, being careful as he pulled the alien close.

“They’re not breathing.” Chief announced. Though not human and not breathing, he still pulled them out. He got them away from the ship and down on flat ground. He removed their armor around their chest and helmet. If the alien was anything like humans biologically, then he had to assume that this one was a woman. He pushed that thought out of his mind, though, and focused on the chest compressions. When he finished the first round, he pinched her nose shut and locked his lips over hers, giving her a couple breaths. Nothing. She didn’t respond and she wasn’t breathing. He then went for the second round and then third.

When Chief was about halfway through the third round, she started coughing and sputtering. “We got her.” He let out a sigh of relief. “Ma’am? Ma’am! Can you hear me?” The alien, though breathing again, was unconscious, only grumbling a bit. Sam had walked over to join him, looking at their unexpected visitor. “She’s inhaled a lot of smoke, but hopefully she can recover.” He knew she would probably need medical treatment, but she was an alien. A real live alien. He couldn’t take her to the nearest hospital and get her admitted.

He looked back to see that the flames were out, Sam doing a good job at that.

“We need to hide the ship as soon as possible; the Garrison is most likely going to be out here in an hour or so.” Sam responded. “And we need to make sure she’s hidden. As amazing as it is that there’s an alien right here in front of us, the Garrison won’t be as calm about it as we are. They’d detain her and put her in quarantine.”

“Agreed.” Chief nodded. “Were there anyone else in there?”

“No, only her.”

“Okay. Let’s get her back first, then return and get the ship moved and hidden.” Chief moved and pulled the alien up into his arms, carefully getting her picked up. He put her in the back of the vehicle. “Let’s be quick about this.” He got into the back as well to make sure their visitor was okay while Sam drove off, getting them back up to the house. When they reached the house, Chief got the alien back out and carried her upstairs to the guest room.

“Huh? Who’s that?” Colleen asked, setting her book down. She got up and went back inside.

“An alien; she was in the ship that crashed.” Sam explained. “Honey, we need go back out and make sure the ship is hidden before the Garrison come sticking their noses in our business.” He looked to see Chief come back down. “Can you stay down here?” he asked his wife. “I don’t want you hurt.”

“And what about her?” Colleen pointed up to indicate the alien. “If she crashed, she could be hurt, too. She could use help. Or at least an explanation if she wakes up before you get back.”

“Colleen. I don’t want anything happening to you or the baby while we’re out.” Sam looked worried. “I know we brought her back, but we don’t know what she’s like. She could be violent and dangerous for all we know.”

“I’m a hormonal woman who cries at dropping my spoon of peanut butter and gets angry when I can’t reach the remote to the TV. I think I can handle an alien who may or may not be hostile.” Colleen crossed her arms and gave Sam _the look_. “Don’t underestimate me. Besides, I’ve got Gunther with me.”

“Sammy, y’know I’m worried ‘bout her too.” Chief admitted. “But y’know her as well as I do, there ain’t any way we’re gonna be able to tell her what to do.”

“Damn straight.” Colleen nodded. “Now you boys get going; you can’t waste time.”

“Copy that.” Sam kissed Colleen on the lips real quick. “We’re off!” He then ran out, Chief on his heels. They wasted no time in hooking up a trailer, knowing it was best to put the ship on there if possible. With the right gear, they were off, heading back to the crash.

“The metal’s already cooled off. And it’s surprisingly mostly together.” Chief pointed out as he checked on the ship. “That’ll make it easier gathering everything to hide.”

“It should fit in the shed, too.” Sam informed. He used the cables they had to pull the ship up onto the bed of the trailer, thankful it wasn’t too heavy. Other pieces that had fallen off, they gathered up, putting them inside the broken down ship. “That should have it.” He used the flashlight to look around. “I’m not seeing anything else. Other than scorched dirt and sand from the fires and impact.”

“What’re we gonna tell the Garrison?” Chief inquired.

“I’m not sure yet, but I’m bound to figure something out.” Sam admitted. “We need to get the trailer back and hidden. Then probably return here; it’ll look suspicious if they spot our tracks out here and we’re not around.”

“Sounds like a solid plan.” Chief nodded. He got back up into the vehicle with Sam driving, taking them home to hide the trailer in the shed. After that, though, Sam was quick to get some of his supplies, including his laptop. Once they were set, they returned. “What’s the gear fer, Sammy?”

“To check the area.” Sam set up some sensors, relieved when they didn’t pick up much for any interference or presence of other elements. What came up, he figured he could work with. He then looked when he heard the sound of vehicles on the terrain. “To be expected. A mysterious crash in the area, the Garrison shows up.”

“Y’say it like it’s a bad thing, Sammy, but yer Garrison too.” Chief chuckled a bit. “So is Collie.”

“And we are far more open to aliens than most of the others.” Sam reminded with a smile. He saw the vehicles approach and park, their lights still on. A figure stepped out of one.

“Commander Holt? Is that you?”

“Mitch Iverson, dim the lights, you’re blinding me here.” Sam called, chuckling some. The headlights on some of the vehicles were dimmed and the other commander jumped down and went toward him. “Hey, Mitch.”

“Good evening, Sam.” Iverson dipped his head in a greeting. He then looked at the crater that was illuminated. “Find anything? I figured you’d be looking since Chief’s out this way.” He smiled at Chief. “Hey, Chief.”

“Hey, Mitch.” Chief nodded to the commander.

“Haven’t found a thing. There was a some fire, but we got that put out. But...” Sam sighed. “It was probably a meteorite or piece of satellite that broke off and crashed. I didn’t find anything once I could get in and look, though; it probably got destroyed upon impact.”

“Damn.” Iverson grumbled. “You know I trust you, but the others are going to want to investigate, too. We picked up something strange on the radars… and it seemed big.”

“Sure thing. If you need help, let me know.” Sam nodded. “Though hopefully it won’t be long. I’d like to get back to Colleen.”

Iverson waved to the others, letting them know they could come on over and check around. “Colleen’s due soon, isn’t she?”

“A couple of weeks, give or take.” Sam responded. “I like visiting Chief and all, but I’m a little worried being so far out when she’s so close to being due.”

“I told ya, Sammy, if anythin’ happens, I know how ta help with a home birth, too. I ain’t just a firefighter, y’know.” Chief reminded. “And y’all know there ain’t a soul who can tell Collie she shouldn’t visit.”

“I know, but I still worry.” Sam admitted.

“This is Colleen we’re talking about.” Iverson reminded. “She can handle anything thrown at her. And scare whoever throws it.”

“I impregnated her and I’m terrified.”

“See? My point is made.” Iverson stated, Chief snickering in response.

While Sam and Chief were at the crash site and working on things, Colleen sat up in the guest room. There was an armchair on the other side of the room, so she pushed it over and beside the bed so she could keep an eye on the alien and make sure she was breathing okay; Sam would have complained about that, especially her moving furniture, but he wasn’t there to fuss. In the end, she was snuggled down in the chair, a simple kitchen chair brought up for her to support her feet on.

As Colleen made herself comfortable, Gunther settled in beside her. She brought out her book and rested it on her stomach as she continued to read. Despite her focus on the book, she was still able to focus on their unexpected and foreign guest. Thankfully her breathing was doing what she assumed was well and she wasn’t wheezing or coughing.

“Well, hopefully Sam and Chief come back soon.” Colleen stated. “Not that I’m worried. I’m sure you’re fine. But neither you nor Gunther are much for conversation.” She glanced at the alien. Nothing. “I sure hope you’re doing okay. Hard to know since I don’t know what you are.”

_“We should check back in with the empire, let them know about this signal.”_

_“But we don’t even know if it will lead to anything. We should investigate first.”_

_“Are you kidding? This is the first time we’ve picked up on a signal since the red lion. Call back in to the empire.”_

_She closed her eyes. She couldn’t let them find the signal. She couldn’t let them find another lion. She had to stop the other one. So, she started attacking the other ship._

_“What? Trying to get all the glory for yourself?”_

_No, that wasn’t it. She continued attacking, but so did the other. He responded the same way, damaging her ship. However, his ship sustained a lot of damage, too. In the end, his ship blew up. And hers went crashing down onto the planet’s surface._

_Krolia crashed… but in doing so, she may have protected the universe for just a little bit longer._

Krolia opened her eyes slowly. She remembered picking up on the signal. She remembered her fight with the other Galran she was on a scouting mission with. And she remembered her crashing. After that, she couldn’t remember anything. Without moving, she glanced around the room. It seemed odd but casual. Was she a prisoner? She knew, though, that she shouldn’t let her guard down.

She then noticed the woman beside the bed reading. Her warden? She didn’t know Colleen’s threat level, but she couldn’t be caught off guard. As quickly as she could, she she drew her blade hidden within part of her attire and got to her knees. She put it to Colleen’s throat and snarled a bit.

“Give me a reason to not kill you here and now.” she demanded, her purple and gold gaze narrowing.

Colleen barely glanced at Krolia before smirking. “I’m pregnant and very hormonal, my dog will probably bite you, and I would very much like to finish this book before I die.” she responded.

Krolia blinked. She then noticed Gunther; though previously sleeping, the dog was quick to respond when he thought his human was in danger. She then looked to her swollen stomach. Pregnant. She was expecting a baby. Though still on guard, Krolia lowered her blade and settled back onto the bed more.

“Where am I? Am I a prisoner?”

“You’re on Earth. My husband and friend brought you here after you crashed so the wrong people don’t find and detain you.” Colleen responded. She shifted and put her feet down and put her book to the side. “It’s not the most warm of welcomes, but it’s better to be here than anywhere else. Most probably aren’t so open about an alien landing. Or crashing in your case.” She offered a warm smile. “How do you feel? Physically I mean.”

“Sore, actually.” Krolia admitted. “Especially my ribs. But other than that, I feel fine.”

“Could be broken or bruised ribs.” Colleen stated. “Best to rest and not move so suddenly.” She rested her hand on Gunther’s head. “Settle down, Gunther, it’s okay. We’re not in trouble.” The dog huffed and rested his head on her leg. “I’m Colleen, by the way. This fellow is Gunther.”

She was unsure, but something about this particular Earthling made her feel relaxed. “Krolia.”

“Krolia, huh? Nice to meet you.” Colleen offered a smile. “Now then, if you don’t mind, Matt is hugging my bladder.” She managed to get up with a huff before waddling off.

Krolia watched as Colleen left the room. She then looked to the dog who rested his head on the bed. She was cautious, but after a few minutes, she reached over and tried to gently pet him. “Okay. Be good. Don’t bite me.” She let out a sigh of relief when Gunther just let her pet him. “This is… nice. So, you protect Colleen? Are you her guard?”

“Aroo?” Gunther tilted his head to the side. He then licked Krolia’s hand.

“Whoa!” Krolia panicked and tried to jump back. She was trained to be strong and keep her emotions in check, but being licked by a strange creature she knew nothing about scared her. And she fell off the bed. “Ow...”

“Krolia?” Colleen stepped back into the room, some clothes folded up in her arms. “What happened?”

“Your guard. I think he wants to eat me!” Krolia admitted, her eyes wide in shock.

“Want to…” Colleen was stunned. Then she started laughing, leaning against the doorframe to support herself. “He isn’t trying to eat you. It sounds like he just licked you.” she finally managed to say. “It means he likes you. He doesn’t see you as a threat anymore.”

Krolia looked over in shock. “Huh?” She then looked back when Gunther went to stand in front of her. She squeezed her eyes shut when he licked her face a few times. When he stopped, she cracked one eye open. Safe. The dog definitely wasn’t trying to eat her. “What the hell kind of planet did I crash on?”

“Depends on who you ask, but a really messed up one.” Colleen couldn’t help but grin. “But hey, it’s not boring.” She went over and set the clothes down on the bed. “Anyway, I brought some fresh clothing. Hopefully they fit. The pants may be a bit short, but that’ll be fine out here. If you get cold, we can figure something else out.” She returned to the door. “I’ll be downstairs fixing some snacks. Come on down when you’re changed. Gunther, c’mon boy.”

Gunther grumbled a bit as he followed his human. Krolia watched them leave and listened to their retreating steps. She then looked to the clothing brought to her before seeing her own armor. She finally noticed that the upper portion of it was missing. She didn’t know why. Sighing, she got up and wiped off her face. She checked the clothes before stripping out of the rest of her armor and her body suit, pulling on the other clothes.

“Hmm, simple enough.” she said. She looked to her blade and took hold of it. She put it in one of the large pockets, not wanting to go unarmed. She then went out into the hall, glancing around. Downstairs. That meant she was looking for stairs or an elevator of some sort. It didn’t take long to find the staircase going down. She went down and looked around, stopping when she saw photos on the wall. She looked them over, noticing different people in them. Then she saw Colleen in the photos.

Krolia traced her fingers over one photo of Colleen and Sam, the two dressed nicely. Sam wore black tuxedo and Colleen was in a white one. It looked like a sort of ceremony. Thinking of other cultures, she figured it was a sort of union ceremony, the two getting married. She recalled the woman mentioning someone by name along with her friend. Could that then have been one of them? Most likely Sam, she figured.

Krolia smiled. The pictures looked nice. She then finished doing down the steps, locating Colleen through her humming. “Is this your home?” she asked as she entered what she thought was a kitchen.

“It’s Chief’s home. But Sam and I visit a lot.” Colleen informed. “Chief’s our friend. Has been for years. He’s even the godfather of little Matt here.” She rubbed her stomach. “After he’s born, of course.” She then resumed working on the snacks. “Anyway, care for a snack? I don’t know what you eat, though. But hopefully what I have won’t be dangerous for you.”

“Hmm.” Krolia had to admit, she was hungry. Nodding, she decided to try the food. “I don’t think I’d be allergic, but it’s a new planet to me. New planet means new food.” She tried some crackers with peanut butter on them, smiling at the taste. “Ooh, that’s good.”

“Then let’s go sit, eat, and chat.” Colleen said. She went to pick up the plate of snacks, but Krolia beat her to it. Smiling, Colleen went to the living room, settling on the couch. Krolia sat next to her. “Oh, I cannot wait until Matt is born. I’d gladly take diaper changing over him hugging my bladder and kicking my back.”

“Pregnancy must be hard.” Krolia commented. “Ulaz told me that it can take a toll.”

“Ulaz a friend of yours?”

Krolia was silent for a moment. “He’s my brother’s mate.”

“How sweet. So he’s like family.” Colleen smiled brightly. She looked to Gunther who whined, resting his head on her knee. “Okay, fine.” She took one of the crackers and fed it to him. “Gunther here likes treats with peanut butter as much as I do. Goodness knows Matt will be the same.”

Krolia smiled softly. She definitely wasn’t going to let her guard down yet, but she felt that Colleen was a good person to be around and that there was no danger. She was put on high alert, though, when she heard the crunching sound of a vehicle going across sand. She didn’t know how to directly identify the sound, but she did know it was new. Hearing it, she was on her feet and her blade out.

“Hold on. Let me check.” Colleen got back up with a _harumph_ before going to the door and window. She peered out past the curtains to see only one vehicle and Sam and Chief getting out. “It’s clear; it’s just Sam and Chief.” she assured Krolia. “They’re alone. And they’re safe; they’re the ones who brought you in.” She waddled back to the couch, happily sitting back down.

Krolia wasn’t sure, but something about Colleen’s words brought her ease. She sat down again, but she was still on guard when she heard the door open.

“Collie, ya doin’ ok-whoa!” Chief stopped when Gunther ran over and put his front paws up on his shoulders. “Okay, hey there Gunther. Now where’s Collie?”

“Hmm?” Sam looked over. He had been worried for his wife, but that worry was defenestrated in a moment’s notice when he saw Krolia sitting there with his wife, the alien dressed in Earth clothing. “You okay, Colleen?”

“Our son is still hugging my bladder and I think he just decided to kick my liver, but other than that, I’m fine.” Colleen assured. “Krolia, this is my husband, Sam, and our good friend, Chief.” She chuckled. “Oh goodness, just called that. You would think this was some show and the writers didn’t think to give you an actual name.”

“I have a name!” Chief reminded.

“Tex?” Colleen had a mischievous smirk on her face.

“No!” Chief sighed, but he was amused. “Y’all just like givin’ me nicknames. But hey, those nicknames are fine, too.” He then looked to Krolia after getting Gunther to go back down on the floor. “Phew. Looks like yer doin’ okay. How ya feelin’?”

“Sore but… otherwise fine.” Krolia nodded. “You helped me out when I crashed? The two of you?” She dipped her head respectfully. “Thank you.”

“Ah, Chief here did most of the work.” Sam chuckled a bit as he motioned to his friend. “We also got your ship hidden. We didn’t want trouble from the Garrison.”

Krolia let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks.” she said.

“It’s no problem. I’m just glad we were able to help ya out.” Chief assured.

Krolia was making herself at home on Earth. It was a mix of searching for the source of the signal she had picked up on before and actually liking Chief and the Holts. She even came to enjoy Gunther’s company after coming to terms with him not eating her.

“Any luck out there?” Colleen asked. She was sitting on the couch with her feet propped up, the book she had been reading nearly finished. It had been a week since Krolia crashed; a few days ago, she told them why she was around the planet and had to crash. While Colleen couldn’t help, on occasion Sam and Chief were assisting her. Other times, she was out in the desert and looking for what she was certain was a Lion of Voltron.

“No, but… I think it’s out there in the desert or canyon, so I’m close.” Krolia informed as she went to the kitchen. “And no sign of other Galra, so no one else has picked up on what’s out there.” She returned with two large cups of water, handing one to Colleen. “Drink. You need to be hydrated.”

“Ugh. I already feel like I’m a water balloon. With a weight.” Colleen grumbled.

“Hmm...” Krolia eyed Colleen for a bit. She then noticed something. “Is it just me or is he sitting a bit lower?”

“That’s because labour’s started.”

Krolia’s eyes widened. That response came too casually. “What!? Shouldn’t we contact Sam? Or Chief?!” she asked.

“It’s barely started. And nothing is wrong, so I don’t need to be at the hospital.” Colleen assured. “And I can’t reach the phone and didn’t want to move yet.”

“Do all Earthlings handle pregnancy and labour as well as you?” Krolia inquired.

“Some, probably. Each person differs.” Colleen responded. “If it progresses further before they’re back, then we can call them.”

“That’s fair.” Krolia nodded though still dumbfounded.

Of course, while Colleen was prepared for it to take a while, she was also prepared for things to speed up. She had read numerous books and articles and spoke with plenty of doctors and mothers who had experience. She was ready for anything. Including giving birth at home.

Krolia wasn’t a professional in the medical area, but she did learn enough. She mentally thanked Ulaz for insisting that she learned a few things to treat injuries and work with birth. “How are you holding up?”

“I want this to be over. NOW!” Colleen hissed as she squeezed Chief’s hand, making him whimper. “Shit!”

“My sentiments exactly, Collie.” Chief managed to say through gritted teeth.

“Sorry.” Colleen let go before letting out a cry. “Ah!”

“Okay, Colleen, he’s crowning.” Krolia assured. “Get ready to push.” She and Chief did their best to coach Colleen, help her out. Her labour unexpectedly sped up, but they were ready. “Sam! Where are those towels!?” Krolia called.

“I’m coming.” Sam rushed into the room. He stopped in his tracks before passing out.

“And he’s down.” Chief sighed.

“I’m never going to let him forget that.” Colleen chuckled a bit between laboured breaths.

It took a while, but before long, Colleen gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She had Matt in her arms finally. After a trip to the hospital to have Matt, Colleen, and even Chief, who had two broken fingers thanks to Colleen’s grip, they was able to bring him back to the desert home where Krolia got to hold him.

“He’s so… tiny.” Krolia whispered. She then smiled. “Hello, Matt. Welcome to Earth.” There he was. A little baby, fresh and new to the world. In her short time on Earth, she had already witnessed new and amazing things. Perhaps, though, she felt being able to help a human friend with her birth was the most remarkable thing in the universe to happen to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this start. It was was fun going over Krolia crashing on Earth and being found by Chief and Sam both and helped out. I also adored using the jab at Keith's dad not actually being given a name in cannon. That was fun.  
> Well, until next time.


	2. Defending the Defender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Krolia and her found family locate the blue lion. Finding it, though, they know they need to protect the lion from any potential harm. Thankfully she's not alone.

“According to this, we’re right on top of the signal.” Sam said as he looked to the device in his hands. Krolia was able to write out the signal and with it, Sam was able to compare it to a Fraunhofer line. With that, he was able to try and track the object better. After nearly a year of searching, they came to finally find it. Or at least were closer.

“So we just find our way down.” Krolia stated with a nod. It took some searching and several moments of getting lost, but they eventually found themselves deep inside the cave. Further in, they heard water flowing. At first the group thought it was flooded, but they soon found it wasn’t, but there was a pool of sorts with water falling into it.

More than that, they saw the massive, mechanical lion as it stood still, a barrier surrounding it. It was the blue lion.

“I knew the signal was out here but...” Krolia stared in shock. “I honestly didn’t really expect to see another lion in my lifetime.” She went over to the barrier, gently touching it. “It doesn’t look like we can get in… but that could be for the best.”

“Holy crow.” Chief was amazed. A ship of that size and form, it seemed unreal. “To finally see it… an’ ya said there are five of ‘em?”

“Scattered throughout the universe, but we don’t know where.” Krolia admitted. “Ever since Sendak had found the red lion, the empire had been trying to track the others through their energy signatures; that’s what pretty much led me to Earth. And now we’ve found this one.”

“Wow.” Chief looked over to Sam and then Krolia. “Wha’cha think? Should we contact that Garrison? I know they can be iffy an’ all that, but… they could help.”

“At what cost?” Sam asked. “For now… it may be best to keep this a secret.”

“I agree.” Krolia nodded in agreement. “If it’s fully discovered, it could put your planet, your people, in danger.”

“An’ what about yer group?” Chief inquired. During Krolia’s stay, she talked about the Blade of Marmora, the group she worked with, from time to time. She made sure that her friends were aware of the dangers outside their solar system, but also that there were others working to try and eliminate some threats.

“For now, keeping silent is best.” Krolia admitted. She offered Chief a smile. “Besides, it’s not so bad being here. At least I’m not alone.”

“We’ll always do our best to help.” Chief said as he gently took Krolia’s hand. “I’m here fer ya.” Krolia smiled fondly, happy to have Chief in her life.

Sam looked to his friends before turning away and walking off. “I’ll… give you two some privacy.” he said, smirking a bit to show he was teasing them a bit.

“Sammy.” Chief rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help but chuckle. “He means well.”

“At least he’s open.” Krolia mused. “Anyway, we should be getting back. I’ve got a baby to hug.” She adored when the Holts were around. She may have been a trained warrior and even a spy, aiming to take down an empire of evil Galra run by a corrupt tyrant, but she did have her soft side and adored Matt.

If Krolia missed being around other Galra, hearing from her brother or his mate, seeing her group, or even being on missions, she never made any mention of it. If she felt lonely or isolated, she never said a word. But one thing she did mention was the peace on Earth. Though she lived an isolated life out in the desert, she was aware of the peace Earth and its people got to enjoy. They weren’t at all involved in the war that had been going on in other parts of the universe. Most on the small, rocky, life-filled planet weren’t even aware.

And Krolia enjoyed that change of pace for however long she found it would last. But there was something else she enjoyed during her time. It was her love and relationship with Chief that grew. She enjoyed being with him and found herself falling more and more in love.

And over time, that love developed into a baby. She was pregnant and slowly but surely growing. With the information she gave and what Colleen could tell, the baby was developing well and would be healthy.

“Ya sure we shouldn’t say anythin’? I mean, we got lucky with Collie havin’ Matt, but...” Chief was concerned. It was to be expected, he was a first time father and with an alien girlfriend.

“Don’t fret so much.” Krolia assured. “We did well with Colleen and Matt, we can manage again with me. And I’ve been teaching Colleen and she’s been reading up on books to help further.”

“If yer sure...” Chief wasn’t fully convinced, but he was going with it. He then moved in time when he heard giggling, Matt running into the house and jumping up onto the couch, Gunther right behind him. “Hey, kiddo. Find anything cool out there?”

“Yeah! But the lizard got away.” Matt said. He then smiled at Krolia, happily hugging her when she held her arms out. Just as Chief became a godfather for the boy, Krolia was a godmother. It wasn’t every day a human child could say they had an alien godmother, but he also couldn’t go blab about it. Despite his youth, he was understanding and knew he had to keep that and Krolia’s existence a secret. “So, when’s he gonna come?” Matt inquired as he rested his head against Krola’s chest. He put his hand on her distended abdomen, hoping to feel the baby move.

“Not for a while, Matt.” Colleen informed. “We’ve got about another month to go.”

“Aww! I hate waiting.” Matt mumbled. “I want to meet him.”

“Soon, little love.” Krolia chuckled, ruffling Matt’s hair. “These things take time. Then it’s on to having a new baby in the house. You’re going to help out, right?”

“Yeah!” Matt perked up. “I’ll be like a big brother and do my best!”

“That’s good.” Krolia hugged the young human.

A child of her own. It both thrilled and frightened Krolia. She honestly didn’t know what to expect. She was happy to know she could have a child with Chief, but she didn’t know if the child would look like him or her. Perhaps a mix? But what if he couldn’t live on Earth because of how he’d look? She didn’t know if it would go well for him to be raised among the Blade of Marmora, and she didn’t want to separate the family.

She hoped, though, for as long as possible, she could remain on Earth and continue guarding the blue lion. It was the mission she gave herself and one she planned to uphold. But another mission she held dearly was the one that hadn’t fully begun. She had the upcoming task of protecting her precious child.

The month had come and gone. Before they knew it, she had gone into labour. As frightening as it was, Krolia’s anger showing as she face the pain of childbirth, it wasn’t as bad as with Colleen’s when it came to Chief. He made it out of there without his fingers being broken, but they certainly did hurt and were bruised. Perhaps not as much as Sam’s ego since he passed out once more.

Matt had waited downstairs with Gunther, petting the dog and worrying. Hearing Krolia cry out in pain hurt and scared him; he wanted to help, but he listened when he was told to stay in the living room. He stopped and looked up when he heard the wailing of a baby. Curious and going against orders, he scrambled up the stairs, the massive dog right on his trail. He peered into the room to see Colleen cleaning up in the room before she noticed her son.

“Hey, Matt, you okay?” Colleen asked. The fact that she didn’t tell him to go back down and sounded happy was a good sign.

“Mm-hmm.” Matt nodded. He looked to see his father on the floor. “Is Daddy...”

“He’s fine, he just can’t handle seeing a woman give birth.” Colleen sighed. “Did the same thing when you were born, you know.” She chuckled. She looked over to Krolia who nodded. “C’mon over and meet the newest addition to the family.” Though none of them were related to Chief and definitely not related to Krolia, they were still a family; Colleen was definitely someone who lived by family not always being blood.

Matt scampered over and climbed up onto the bed, Chief helping to keep him balanced. “He’s so tiny. And fuzzy. But Auntie’s not fuzzy.” he pointed out.

“He’s like my brother; Thace is also fuzzy like this.” Krolia informed. “Matt, meet Keith Yorak Kogane.”

Matt smiled brightly, his eyes practically sparkling behind his glasses. Keith hoped him sit up more and support the baby when Krolia let him hold the newborn. “Hi, Keith.” Matt said. “I’m gonna help look after you. Like a brother.”

Keith opened his eyes, showing them to be much like Krolia’s with the golden sclera and purplish irises. He burbled a bit at Matt, making the human chuckle.

“I think he likes you.” Krolia chuckled.

Matt did his part in helping however he could. From getting snacks or blankets for Krolia to even learning how to change a diaper, he was showing to be responsible and proud to help look after the little half-Galran. He sat on the floor with Keith, Gunther laying nearby and practically on guard. He held a bottle for the infant, letting him suckle from it.

“He’s developing well.” Krolia pointed out as she leaned against a wall, watching the boys. She sipped on some cocoa, enjoying the flavour. “Matt’s also doing a great job helping out.”

“He’s definitely learning well and eager to help.” Colleen praised, proud of her son. She then looked over to the counter, noticing Krolia’s blade sitting there and glowing. “Huh? What’s...”

Krolia looked over and picked up the weapon. It was indeed glowing. This prompted her to put down her drink and run out the front door, looking up to see the glowing trail of alien ships coming in. “Oh no, they’re scouts. They must have found the blue lion’s signal.”

“We have to stop them; we can’t let it be collected or even reported.” Colleen informed.

“I agree.” Krolia nodded. She ran out further on the deck and looked around the house and to the shed. “Sam! Chief! We’ve got a problem!”

It didn’t take long for the two men to scramble from the building, Sam having been looking over Krolia’s crashed ship for the umpteenth time and Chief keeping him company. “What’s the matter?” Chief asked.

“Um… Chief?” Sam pointed to where the trails from the incoming ships slowly disappeared. He ran to the deck. “My guess is they aren’t friendlies.”

“You’re most likely right.” Krolia confirmed. “We need to keep their ships from taking off again at least… but…”

“I can quickly design some explosives.” Sam informed. “I’ve been studying your ship; if theirs are anything like it, then I should be able to quickly whip up something to put into the intake valves; once detonated, they won’t be able to take off.”

“How fast can you make them?” Krolia inquired.

“Five minutes, seven tops.” Sam responded as he ran out of the house and back to the shed.

“Mommy? What’s going on?” Matt asked, still not leaving Keith’s side.

“A little trouble… but we’ll take care of it.” Colleen informed. She smiled softly. “We need to go out for a bit, though. Can you stay here with Gunther and look after Keith? We won’t be gone long.”

Matt looked worried. “You’ll be back? All of you?” he asked.

“We will, I’m sure of it.” Colleen assured. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but...”

“I can.” Matt nodded. “I know how to look after him.” He held his arms out for a hug, smiling when his mother obliged. “Come back safe. And let’s make pancakes for breakfast.”

“Of course.” Colleen kissed her son’s forehead. She then looked to Krolia who picked up Keith for a moment, kissing his forehead.

“We’ll be back as soon as possible.” Krolia set Keith down on the mat they were on. “Gunther’s in charge.”

“Okay.” Matt nodded. “Do good.”

Krolia nodded before walking out with the others. “We need to be armed and ready.”

“My maiden name is Gunderson, you know. And we Gunderson’s are always prepared.” Colleen informed. She went to where one of the vehicles were, opening the back of it and lifting the false floor on it. “And often with guns.” She showed to have a small collection of guns, most being from the Galaxy Garrison. “The Garrison knows I have them, so it’s technically not illegal, you can shut your mouth, Chief.”

“Okay… but is this… moral?” Chief lifted one of the guns that Colleen had. “An’ why do you have these?”

“Just in case and for when I’m just at the firing range.” Colleen informed. “Sam? Honey, you about ready?”

“Yup.” Sam returned to the others. “This should be enough for those ships. And then some. Just in case.”

“Then we best get to the area. Once we see where they are, we can figure out a plan.” Krolia informed.

Chief drove them out to the area where the ships landed. As they feared, they were indeed in the right area for the blue lion. With the vehicle parked, Colleen found her ideal spot, using the scope on one of her guns to look around the area.

“There’s one down by the ships keeping guard.” Colleen informed. “The others could be inside. But we need to be on guard; if these guys aren’t amateurs, then one will probably be on lookout, too.”

**“Good observation.”** Krolia responded over the comms. **“And you’re most likely right, there would be one in a position like yours on lookout. Chief, Sam, you two will sabotage the ships.”**

**“What ‘bout you?”** Chief inquired.

**“I’m going in; I need to find out how much they know… and put a stop to them.”**

“Copy that.” Colleen responded with the others. She kept to her position, keeping an eye on their surroundings. She especially kept an eye on the scout on the ground, making sure they wouldn’t notice Chief and Sam. Paying attention to the comms, she didn’t think they made a noise, but something alerted the Galran. Perhaps the other lookout spotted the two humans? “Be alert, this guy’s making a move towards you.” Colleen warned.

**“We ain’t finished yet.”** Chief whispered.

“Understood.” Colleen took aim and fired a few times. With the armor the enemy wore, she needed those shots to take them down. Then it was on to changing location, certain the other on lookout would catch on to her location. Whether or not they did, she didn’t know. But they did open fire upon Chief and Sam.

**“Collie, if you got a trick, now would be a grand ol’ time to use it!”** Chief called.

**“We’ve taken cover, but we’re pinned here.”** Sam informed.

“Copy that. I see where this guy is at.” Colleen recharged the gun before taking aim for the Galran, finding their location due to their attack. But there was something else she didn’t fully anticipate. There was another who aimed in her area. “Correction. There are two on look out. Heh, looks like they came prepared.”

**“Colleen, are you okay?”** Sam asked.

“Yeah, just need to rethink things.” Colleen informed.

While the others were outside handling their situation, Krolia went down into the caves, reaching where the blue lion was. She saw other Galra there, as she expected. They had sensors up, doing what they can to get a reading on the lion and perhaps trying to bring down the barrier surrounding it. She readied her blade before throwing it at the console one was working at, rendering it useless as it was impaled. Doing so also startled those there.

Of course, being startled didn’t mean their guard was down. One bounced back from their stupor and shooting at Krolia, getting her to duck around a corner and get out one of the guns she got from Colleen’s stash. Two could play at that game. Krolia returned fire, quickly eliminating one of the soldiers. She then fired at the others until one managed to shoot her gun. Krolia dropped it in time for it to explode, then it was onto the hand-to-hand combat. She ran at one of the soldiers, quickly grabbing her blade, and started to fight.

She went to take out the blasters first; if they were still functional, they would have been the bane of her existence. With the blasters out of the picture, she went into a full attack of one of the soldiers. During that, the other decided to run off, aiming to leave the caves. Krolia caught sight of that and knew in an instant that it wasn’t because he was afraid. He was running off to escape so he could inform the empire of the blue lion’s whereabouts.

Krolia managed to pin the first one down and stabbed through his under armor, quickly dispatching him. she then sped off, chasing after the other one. She came to the entrance of the cave, right behind the other. Before he could get to a ship, the ones there all had small explosions, destroying parts of them and rendering them useless in flight.

She took that moment to tackle the soldier to the ground and try to take him out, but he wasn’t giving up. He did his best to fight her off, even managing to pin her to the ground.

“You’re Galran and yet you’re betraying the empire!” he hissed at her.

“Because what Zarkon and the empire is doing is wrong!” Krolia responded. “I won’t let you have the blue lion!”

“You don’t have a choice.” He managed to knock Krolia’s blade away and drew out his own, the energy for it forming a curved blade. He went to plunge it into Krolia, but he froze as the sound of a blaster going off rang in the air. He then fell over to the side, a wound from his head bleeding blue blood.

Krolia pushed him away more before getting up. She checked on him before nodding. “Looks like you won’t get the blue lion today.” she informed the lifeless body.

“Kro! You okay?” Chief ran over with Sam, the two smudged up with dirt, but otherwise okay.

“Yeah. Are all hostiles eliminated?” Krolia asked. “Colleen? Colleen, are you okay?”

**“Well, doing better these guys.”** Colleen informed. **“And my clothes. You do realize Galran blood does not wash out, right?”**

Sam let out a sigh of relief. “Hey, as long as you’re fine.” he said. He and the others went to where Colleen was sitting on a raised piece of canyon wall. She was a little scraped up, showing to have been in closer combat than expected, and she was splattered with Galran blood, but she was otherwise okay. “How are you feeling?”

“Better than that guy.” Colleen motioned to the scout she managed to eliminated.

“Did’ja hafta shoot him there?” Chief cringed, seeing just where Colleen shot him at some point.

“It worked, didn’t it?” Colleen inquired.

Krolia chuckled a bit. “It’s an effective hit.” She was definitely in agreement. “Anyway, we best dispose of them so no one stumbles upon them. And hide the ships. Then we can get back to the kids.”

Matt was sitting on the floor, looking up at a picture book he enjoyed. There were some phrases in it, but some things didn’t fully click yet. However, he heard it enough times, he could remember much of it. He looked up when Gunther grumbled and got up.

“Gunther? Where you goin?” Matt asked. He watched as the Great Pyrenees as he went to the door and waited. “Gotta go potty?” He then perked up when the door opened. “Mommy! Daddy!” he cheered. He watched them come in.

“Hey, honey, we’re home. You’re still awake?” Colleen asked.

Sam went over and picked Matt up. Chief was right with him, carefully picking Keith up off the mat, the baby fast asleep and burbling a bit when he was lifted.

“I was lookin’ after Keith well.” Matt stated. “Mommy and Auntie are all dirty.”

“Yeah, it was a busy night.” Krolia said. “But nothing to worry about.” She went to Chief and observed Keith, smiling fondly at her son. “You did a good job, Matt.”

“He needed his diaper changed, so I did it, too.” Matt was proud to inform them of that. “All trouble done?”

“All trouble done.” Krolia nodded.

“Good.” Matt yawned.

“Looks like it’s time for you to go to bed, too.” Sam chuckled. “Let’s get you on to bed then.”

“Night night.” Matt mumbled as he hugged his father.

“I’ll give you my night-night hug when I get cleaned up.” Colleen assured, waving to her son as he was carried off.

“I’ll go ahead an’ take Keith up to bed, too.” Chief informed.

“Okay, sweetie.” Krolia kissed his cheek before kissing Keith’s forehead. She then looked to Colleen. “You get cleaned up first, I’m going to get some fresh air.”

“Okay.” Colleen nodded as she went upstairs, Chief right behind her.

Krolia went outside, Gunther joining her. He sat down beside her as she sat in the chair out on the deck. “It’s been a long night. But at least for a little while longer, the blue lion’s safe.” She pet the dog, running her fingers through his thick fur. She looked up at the sky, enjoying the starry view she had. “Hopefully we can continue keeping it safe. And this planet. I want to keep my home safe.” Home. Though she was fairly isolated out in the desert and canyons, she still found Earth to be her home. “And of course my family. Keith and Chief. Colleen, Matt, and Sam.” Gunther whined. “Of course, you too.” Krolia chuckled a bit. “I want to keep all of this safe.” Gunther wagged his tail as he grumbled a bit. He then rested his head on Krolia’s lap, letting her pet him more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think that Colleen's maiden name is Gunderson, which we've seen in another one of my fics. And it's a fun thing to have in this fic, too. Also, I didn't get much drawn for this chapter. But that's fine. At least we have one awesome picture of Colleen. In all honesty, I love that picture of Colleen. She looks so awesome!  
> Anyway! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!  
> Until next time!


	3. A Sad Farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spending her time on Earth, Krolia came to love her found family more and more. But she also knew the risk there was with the blue lion. Time and time again, scouts would show up; if nothing is done, she knew that Earth would be in danger further in a matter of years. She doesn't make her decision lightly in the end.

Katie Holt was unstoppable despite her situation. Since she was born, there were assumptions that she would have challenges if she did not grow out of them. By the time she was three months, they were certain that little Katie was blind, unresponsive to any visual stimuli, even the change in light.

But none of this made the newest addition to the family wary or shy. At one year old, she was crawling all over the place, exploring all she could and feeling for anything and everything she could get her tiny hands on.

“Up we go.” Krolia chuckled as she swooped Pidge up into her arms. She was at home with her and Keith, the young boy around three, nearing four, years old and running all over the place, especially after Katie. Sam and Chief were both at their jobs. While Matt was in school for the day, Colleen was called into the Garrison to look over a project involving plants. Krolia happily offered to look after Katie for the day.

“Mama! Mama!” Keith ran over and hugged his mother around the leg. “Pidge fast!”

“Pidge?” Krolia looked down at her soon before going over to the couch. She sat down and watched as Keith climbed up next to her.

“Yeah! Pidge!” Keith pointed to Katie. “Matt say she a _pidge_ ‘cause she coo.”

Krolia chuckled. She realized that Matt must have said _pigeon_ but Keith couldn’t get that word out. “Pidge, huh? I think it’s a cute nickname.” She gently ran a finger across Katie’s cheek, listening to her burble and make little cooing noises.

“Mama? Pidge no look at me.” Keith stated. “Why?”

“Pidge can’t see.” Krolia sighed softly. “She’s blind.”

“Blind?”

“Yes. She isn’t able to see. And with how it is for her, she can’t even see the difference in light or darkness.” Krolia smiled at Katie. “But that isn’t stopping her. She’s rather adventurous.” She looked over when she heard the phone ring. “Okay, Gunther! Keep an eye on Katie.” She set Katie down on the floor before standing up.

Gunther got up and stretch before padding over to where Pidge was set down, Keith sliding off the couch to join her. Katie wasted no time to try and crawl away, ready to explore. She didn’t get far when Gunther laid in front of her. When she tried to turn around to crawl away, he put his paw over one of her legs, prompting her to stop and lay flat on her stomach.

“Oh!” Keith ran over and grabbed a stuffed lion plush. “Pidge play?” he asked. He put it in front of Katie, but she didn’t reach for it. He pushed it closer, getting it to touch her hand; this prompted her to grab for it and sit back up, able to get her foot away from Gunther.

Katie felt around and scooted back. She leaned against Gunther and bounced the lion in her lap. Keith smiled as he watched her. “Lion.” he said, patting the toy. “Lion.” Katie didn’t respond. Keith decided to take her hand and move it around the lion. “Lion.”

“Yeah, see you soon.” Krolia said before hanging up the phone. She stopped and looked to Keith, seeing how he was trying to get Katie to say _lion_. She knew Katie could be too young to form that word, but it was cute. She enjoyed seeing the children interact.

“Mama, who that?” Keith asked, looking over. “Papa? Collie?”

“That was your papa; he’ll be home soon. He’s just going to meet up with Sam and Colleen first, then they’ll pick up Matt from school.” Colleen went over and sat down with the children. “So, what are we doing? Helping Katie identify things?”

“Yup, but she not say it.” Keith looked perplexed. “’cause she not see?”

“Well, she could be a bit young. She’s still a baby.” Krolia informed. “She can say little things now, but it will take time. And it may take longer to understand without seeing it.”

“Oh.” Keith nodded. “But she can feel. Pidge see with hands.”

“That’s right, she sees with her hands.” Krolia chuckled when she saw Katie discard the lion then crawl over to her. “And her ears.” She picked the child up a bit and put her on her lap. “She’ll grow well. According to Sam and Colleen, lots of people are blind and grow to be independent.”

And it was for her precious son Keith, little Matt, and baby Pidge that she wanted to keep the blue lion away from the empire and safe. She didn’t want them involved in the war. However, Krolia didn’t know how long that would last. She didn’t know when the next attack would be. Would scouts just show up again? Or would a whole fleet arrive? Could she really protect Earth and her family by just keeping the lion hidden in a cave?

“Mama! I want a snack.” Keith said, pulling Krolia from her thoughts.

“Okay, honey, let’s get you a snack.” Krolia chuckled. She then got up, holding Katie up in one arm. She then scooped up Keith, holding him in the other. She went to the kitchen to fix a snack, settling Keith on one counter and continuing to hold Pidge in the other arm, able to work one handed and with her son’s help.

When they returned to the living room, letting Keith munch on his snack and then getting Pidge to listen to different toys and reach for them, Krolia kept Katie occupied. When Keith finished, he helped work with the baby, clicking different toys to catch her attention. She kept playing with them until she heard the sound of the others arriving, the vehicle crunching over the sand. She didn’t say anything yet, but Katie sure did.

“Oh! Dada!” Katie sounded out, motioning in the direction of the door. “Mama. Dada!”

“Hmm? Did you already hear them?” Krolia inquired.

“Mama? Pidge hear them?” Keith asked.

“That’s right, she heard them.” Krolia asked. “You didn’t?” Keith looked confused as he thought it over. “Well, she can’t see. But she realized already that she has other senses and she’s learning to use them to her advantage.” She then looked over when she heard the door open. “Welcome home.” she greeted the others.

Home. It wasn’t Sam and Colleen’s primary home, they actually lived in a town, but they did spend plenty of time out there, especially with all the children. The Kogane residence was a second home to the Holt family.

The adults were always on guard, keeping an eye on any sign that there could be Galra near and picking up on the blue lion’s signal. It took work, but they were able to use parts from the destroyed ships to create a functional radio to listen to any radio chatter they could get.

But it was perhaps inevitable that they would get another unwanted visit. Another scout team had come one day. The group agreed to leave the kids home, Matt fine with looking after Keith and Katie, waiting with Gunther. The adults went to handle the scouts, following the same plan as before.

Krolia went inside to find those looking for the lion, Chief and Sam sabotaged the ships, and Colleen was on lookout, sniping the scouts when she got a view of them. It didn’t take long to remove them from the area, all but one ship damaged in the end.

She didn’t want to, but she knew she had to make a hard decision. “Honey? Can we talk for a bit?”

“Huh?” Chief looked back. “Yeah, sure.” He was worried, but he knew it was best to hear her out.

“We’ll go in and make sure the kids are put to bed.” Colleen informed.

“Thanks.” Krolia smiled. She watched as the Holts went in, Gunther slipping past them and joining the Koganes. “Honey...” She went over and sat on the banister of the desk, Chief going over and sitting in the chair. “The Empire is coming closer and closer… this next attack… I’m worried.”

“I am too, Kro.” Chief nodded. “But we’re gonna do our best. We ain’t lettin’ ‘em have the lion.”

“I know but...” Krolia sighed. “They’ll keep getting closer and closer… in a few years, Earth may be invaded if nothing is done.”

Chief looked to his hands, watching as Gunther pushed his head between them, wanting to be pet. “Yer sayin’ that ya need to leave, right?”

“I don’t come to this thought so easily.” Krolia admitted.

“And of Keith?” Chief inquired. Krolia looked away. She really didn’t know. “On one hand, here on Earth, he could hopefully be safe. On the other, he could be with yer group, right? He’d be with others… not confined to a small home in a desert… He wouldn’t hafta worry ‘bout bein’ found and taken away.”

“I don’t know what to do… I need to protect the lion… my family. I need to protect my home and the best way to do that is to stop the empire from the inside.” Krolia informed. “But I don’t want to take Keith away from you. But… you’re right. With the Blades, he’ll be cared for, raised with others… and the main bases are safe.”

Chief pet Gunther for a moment longer before taking Krolia’s hands. “I trust yer decision, Kro, y’know that, right?” he asked. “And I trust that you thought this over. This war… it’s gonna keep spreadin’, huh?”

“Yes.” Krolia nodded. “And if nothing is done… Earth will be in trouble.”

“Then if this what needs to be done, then is must done.” Chief nodded. “But I only got one thin’ to ask.”

“Hmm?”

“You’ll come home one day, right? You an’ Keith both?” Chief smiled. “I want y’all to be safe and one day come home.”

Krolia smiled. “Of course.” she said. She leaned in, covering the space between them, and kissed Chief. “Maybe when I come home, things will be different and we can have an official ceremony and get married.”

“That’d be nice.” Chief confirmed. “We’ll need to tell the others.”

“In the morning. We need rest first.” Krolia pointed out. She then yelped before it faded into a chuckle when Gunther jumped up to lick her face. “Yes, yes, I’m going to miss you, too, buddy.” she said, petting him.

The Holts were informed. Then the children. It was sad to hear, but the adults had comprehended it. They understood the dangers and the need for this. Sam kept an eye on satellite surveillance, finding the right time for Krolia to depart. When the time came, they got ready one night, setting things up.

Keith sat on the ground, his arms around Katie as she just cooed softly. He didn’t want to go without her. “My Pidge.” he mumbled. “I no go. Take Pidge.”

“Oh honey.” Krolia was almost heartbroken, but it was adorable. “We can’t take Katie. She has to stay here with her mommy and daddy.” She picked Keith up, the boy’s fur bristling and his ears going down. “We’ll see them again one day.”

“My Pidge...” Keith mumbled. He watched as Colleen went over to pick Katie up, holding her close to him. He smiled and giggled when Katie reached out and felt his face, even his ears. “Bye bye, Pidge.” He pushed his face to hers, rubbing their foreheads together. “I miss you.”

“Keef!” Pidge giggled out, managing to get something else other than _mama_ or _dada_ out.

“Mm-hmm!” Keith giggled. He then hugged his mother. “We hafta go?”

“We do, baby. But it’s only for now. One day we’ll come home.” Krolia informed. She looked to the others. “Thank you, everyone. For everything.” She smiled softly. “I’ll be home one day. We both will. And the family will be back together.”

“We’ll be looking forward to the day.” Sam stated. “Hey, buddy, you be good out there, okay?” He ruffled Keith’s hair.

“I will!” Keith cheered.

“See you later, fuzzy butt.” Matt teased. Keith giggled and stuck his tongue out at him.

“I’ll see ya ‘fore ya know it, son.” Chief assured. He went over and kissed Keith on the forehead. He then kissed Krolia on the lips. “Safe travels out there.”

“I’ll miss you. Until I return.” Krolia whispered softly. She then went to the ship, setting Keith up in the back and in a modified car seat that Sam set up. She was stocked up on supplies so she could return to the base with a child as safely as possible. She got into the pilot’s seat and got things started up. She smiled at the others one last time before closing up the ship.

The others backed off a bit. Then it was on to watching as the ship took off, leaving the ground and atmosphere. Before long, the purple light trailing behind the ship was no longer visible. Krolia and Keith had officially left.

“Mommy? They’ll come home. Right?” Matt asked.

“They will. It may take time, but they’ll definitely come home.” Colleen assured.

Matt nodded. He then went to Chief and held up his arms. Though older and not needing to be carried, he didn’t mind when Chief would. Smiling, his godfather obliged and lifted the boy.

“We’re here for you. We’re family, too.” Matt assured as he hugged Chief.

“Thanks, buddy. I’m glad to hear that.” Chief was touched. That night both warmed and broke his heart. But he was sure Krolia and Keith would be fine and he was certain he would see them again. He then walked back to the house, Matt still in his arms.

Krolia flew the ship for months, heading toward one of the main bases to report back to the head of the Blade of Marmora. She took some time, evading the Empire’s ships and routes and also to make sure Keith was properly cared for. At times, she even had him on her lap, letting him see how she flew from up close.

“Huh?” Keith looked ahead. Before him, he could see two black holes with a massive blue star. “It’s so pretty! Mama! What is it?”

“Two black holes and a blue star.” Krolia explained. “And hidden in the middle is the base we’re going to for now.” She worked on communications before taking her blade. She sent a signal.

Then someone responded.

**“Krolia.”**

Krolia smiled. “It’s been a while, Kolivan.”

**“You haven’t contacted us; we had to assume you died on your mission.”**

Keith looked up at his mother, worry in his eyes. She patted his back and offered him a reassuring smile. “No, I’m fine. I have valuable information with me, too. As well as… company.”

**“Company?”**

“Well… I’ve been gone a while and… let’s just say that part of it could be considered maternity leave.”

Silence.

More silence.

**“WHAT!?”**

Keith yelped in surprised, nearly falling off his mother’s lap.

“Hey, you’re going to scare Keith.” Krolia glared, not that she could see him to glare at. “Anyway, is the path open?”

**“Yes. You’re good to enter.”**

“See you soon.” Krolia confirmed. She then took off, following the path until she saw the base. “You’ll like the others. And I know they’ll adore you.”

“We live here?” Keith asked.

“Possibly not; we’ll probably move to a civilian base soon. But for now, we’ll be here.” Krolia informed. She brought the ship down into the hanger, letting it close up before exiting the ship. She looked over when she saw some other Blades, surprisingly a whole group of them rather than just two. Some were masked, as they often were, some weren’t. “What? Giving me a welcome party?” she asked, chuckling a bit. She helped Keith out and held him in her arms. She then went over, facing the greetings and numerous questions.

Keith was spooked and snuggled in as close to his mother as possible. So many new faces and different compared to the few he was raised around. Sensing this, Krolia offered him a reassuring smile.

“It’ll be fine, Keith. They aren’t scary.” she said. “These are our friends.”

Krolia went further into the base with the others, her eyes soft when she saw Kolivan. “It’s been a while.”

“Indeed it has been.” Kolivan nodded. “And you have a child now.” He held his hands out. Keith was hesitant, but he eventually let the fluffier Galra pick him up. He held onto his braid, playing with it. “So, you found yourself a partner? Will I be meeting him?”

“No, he’s still on Earth.” Krolia admitted. “He’s taken up an important duty.” Kolivan looked curious, one of his ears twitching. “We found the blue lion on Earth.” This caught everyone’s attention. “Chief, my partner and Keith’s father, is a local of that planet. He and two others, my friends I met there, have taken to protecting it further. But… scouts keep showing up.”

“And we need to find a way to deter them from that area for as long as possible.” Kolivan stated. “I see.” He shifted Keith so he was more comfortable. “We’ll do what we can; we cannot allow the Empire to get hold of another lion.”

“Indeed.” Krolia nodded. “And… I felt for now, it would be better for Keith to be with the Blades.”

“He’ll be safe among us.” Kolivan confirmed. “And you, too. No doubt you’ll want to stay with him to raise him longer.”

Krolia smiled. “For now. But I will still do my part to end the Empire.” she said. “Perhaps I will return to missions one day. But until then…” She gently rubbed one of Keith’s ears, making him purr a bit in bliss.

“It must have been a long journey; we’ll get you set up with a room so you two can rest.” Kolivan assured.

Once in a room, Krolia helped to get Keith settled in, even laying down for a nap. She unpacked some of her stuff, including her photos. She held one in her hands. She was sitting with Keith, Matt, and even Katie. It was taken before their departure.

Kolivan entered the room to check on her. He looked to see the other photos set up. He picked up one that was of Krolia and Chief, the two standing together. “This is him?”

“Chief, yeah.” Krolia nodded. “I miss him already… but I hope to return there one day. I hope to see him again.”

Kolivan smiled softly. “I’m sure you will.” he stated. He looked to see Keith, the small boy curled up and fast asleep. “You both will.” He put the photo back. “It’s good to have you back, though.”

“I kinda wish I could say that it feels good to be back but...”

“It’s fine. Looks like you made a home for yourself. And leaving what you love can hurt.” Kolivan nodded. “Get some rest.”

“Right.” Krolia nodded. She watched the man leave. “Kolivan? I did miss being around you guys, though. So… it’s good to see you again.”

Kolivan offered a smile before leaving. Once gone, Krolia went and laid down, curling in around Keith. She watched him for a while, running her fingers through his hair. She then snuggled in more. She missed spooning Chief, holding him from behind and nuzzling into the back of his neck. But one day, she planned on going home and seeing her beloved once again. She even looked forward to seeing the Holts and seeing how far Katie would progress in life; she was sure that Katie’s blindness wouldn’t stop her.

“One day, we’ll go home.” she mumbled before letting sleep take her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter of Secrets in the Dark. I actually teared up a bit when I wrote it, my heart breaking some with Krolia leaving with Keith.   
> Also! Sorry that I have no illustrations for this chapter. I got caught up in other things, I forgot to review it earlier and illustrate it. Oops.   
> Anyway! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the whole side fic.  
> Until next time.


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